ACB traps two Churu officials and private middleman with Rs 15,000 bribe in inter-caste marriage grant case

Churu: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Wednesday arrested two Social Justice department officials in Churu along with a private middleman for allegedly accepting a Rs 15,000 bribe from a complainant to release the second installment of an inter-caste marriage incentive grant. The trap was laid by the ACB Churu unit on the directions of ACB headquarters, according to a statement issued by ACB.

Those arrested have been identified as Vijay Khairiwal, Assistant Programmer at the Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Churu; Kuldeep Aldia, Senior Assistant at the office of the Block Social Security Officer, Churu; and Balbir Bigga, a private person allegedly acting for the two officials. The bribe amount of Rs 15,000 was recovered from the trouser pocket of Balbir Bigga at the spot.

ACB Director General Govind Gupta said the complainant was entitled to Rs 10 lakh in state assistance for an inter-caste marriage under a Rajasthan government incentive scheme. After the first installment of Rs 2.5 lakh was sanctioned, the three accused allegedly demanded Rs 35,000 to clear the second installment. Of this, Rs 20,000 had already been taken by the private person during verification on April 15, 2026, ACB said.

The trap operation was conducted under the supervision of ACB Bikaner Deputy Inspector General Bhuvan Bhushan Yadav and led by Additional Superintendent of Police, ACB Churu, Mahavir Prasad Sharma, along with his team. After the demand was verified, Balbir Bigga was caught red-handed accepting the remaining Rs 15,000 and the two officials were arrested at the spot.

Further questioning and proceedings are being conducted under the supervision of ACB Additional Director General of Police Smita Srivastava. A case is being registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act and further investigation is under way, ACB said.